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A team of developers led by Longfellow Real Estate Partners from Boston, Duke University and Durham businessman Hank Scherich will unveil formal plans Wednesday for the "Durham Innovation District."

Backers are labeling the multi-building project as "Durham.ID"

The project is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and cover 1.7 million square feet of office space. The American Tobacco Historic District, which is nearby, includes some 1 million square feet of office space.

The partners describe the project as a "downtown research hub" with an emphasis on life science companies.

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I've walked around in this area a bit and I'm still not sure exactly how they're gonna pull off getting any sort of campus feel to it or delineation of any sort....I'm not totally sure which buildings are included beyond the one mentioned in the article even...can anyone elaborate on what specific things are going to happen to what specific buildings?

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Don't know too much but I don't think its supposed to be a campus in a traditional sense, but more of a neighbourhood. It will most likely consist of renovation as well as new construction probably centered around Measurement Inc.'s compound on Morris St.

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Oh! Sorry...all of a sudden it's clicking...this is the Duke version of Centennial, but unlike Centennial's 80's suburban model, Duke is taking things downtown. Important piece indeed for downtown. I'm no visionary, and fairly worthless to Duke (just some dude with a Civil engineering degree), but I may very well give in and pull up stakes and head to Durham (reference to the Durham Apartment Boom thread comment). I like it a lot up there...

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Oh! Sorry...all of a sudden it's clicking...this is the Duke version of Centennial, but unlike Centennial's 80's suburban model, Duke is taking things downtown. Important piece indeed for downtown. I'm no visionary, and fairly worthless to Duke (just some dude with a Civil engineering degree), but I may very well give in and pull up stakes and head to Durham (reference to the Durham Apartment Boom thread comment). I like it a lot up there...

Well hopefully this won't be limited to Duke folks-would defeat the whole purpose. While Duke is a key player, the idea is to start pulling everyone in from various skills/backgrounds. A similar concept is South Lake Union in Seattle. My friend lives in the neighbourhood, anchored by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (UW), but you would never know it was a campus of any sort-just a cool little area with tech companies all over the place.

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Innovation District

Longfellow Real Estate Partners of Boston and Measurement Inc. of Durham announced last fall that they planned to develop a 1.7-million square foot science/technology “Innovation District” on 15 acres between Duke Street and Durham Central Park.

Their $87-million first phase consists of 126,000 square feet of laboratory space and 145,000 square feet of offices, an 820-space parking deck and a public park along Morris Street near Measurement’s Imperial Building. According to Dick, Longfellow also intends to pitch in $8.3 million worth of improvements to public property such as streets and sidewalks near its project.

Construction is expected to start in 2016 and bring up to 780 temporary jobs, with 850 permanent jobs created in the finished product. Incentive payments of $350,000 would start in 2020, assuming a 2018 completion and opening, like the Chesterfield proposal taking up about 70 percent of the new tax income Dick’s office projects the city will realize from the development.

Deal points include Longfellow’s making at least half its parking deck available for public use on nights and weekends. Both agreements require the developers and their general contractors to “make good faith efforts” to do business with Durham companies during construction.

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There are some great renderings on their website, http://durhamid.com. A rendering of the whole district (with American Tobacco strangely labeled as "Downtown Durham"):

I was in the neighborhood today and the first two buildings are really coming together. According to the leasing brochure, they will have about 20K sq ft of ground floor retail, plus space for a rooftop restaurant. View from Morris St:

Looking down Hunt Street, with the Measurement building:

Looking up Hunt Street from the farmers market/central park:

In the above photo, the red building is a condo development, "The Brannon," that is just finishing up construction. Compared to the Measurement building, its street level experience is pretty disappointing: http://thebrannannc.com/

Final shot -- view from a bit farther up Hunt Street, showing the parking deck that is also under construction:

I'm curious what the long term plan is for this back quarter of the block.

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The first of those renderings has the railroad tracks disappearing into vegetation on the middle right. Perhaps they believe the tracks will be covered over someday with landscaping above.
Hard to make out the Durham Belt, but I assume it's there (rails removed).

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Checked out my brand new office in the Durham ID district. Great looking new and historical buildings and some of the surrounding area and views from the 7th floor. Today. New apartments in the area as well as the Liberty Warehouse apartments. (Lot of photos but I don't see many from the Bull City) Lots of great things going on in Durham especially near downtown.

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Sounds like new to the market tenant PolicyGenius is deciding to be in downtown Durham is great and looking at the Durham ID and 555 Mangum.

"“This sort of proved the concept of being downtown,” he says. “A company like this choosing downtown Durham as a location – it’s a really good building block for the next phase.” And PolicyGenius hopes to get started soon, and is actively negotiating lease options. Right now, it appears to be between 555 Mangum Street and the Durham.ID – either choice a validation of what developers have been trying to do in Durham, he says.""

Quicker both of these office buildings are filled quicker the next one will start.

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What's the streetlife like up there during a workday? Last time I was up there on a weekend it was super dead around the ID. No retail or residential were open yet, so that probably explains it, but I was concerned about this being too insular/inward focused and hope that the end product isn't just an office park plopped down in an area that would hopefully be nice and full and life.

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What's the streetlife like up there during a workday? Last time I was up there on a weekend it was super dead around the ID. No retail or residential were open yet, so that probably explains it, but I was concerned about this being too insular/inward focused and hope that the end product isn't just an office park plopped down in an area that would hopefully be nice and full and life.

It is starting to get busier. as there some apartments a block away and now with both office building almost totally leased. It is really just 2 blocks from the heart of downtown Durham just on the edge of downtown. Just read the 2nd building I think 300 Morris is now 80% leased the other one was 100% leased to Duke.